Merry Christmas

My American family tradition is to stay home on Christmas and enjoy fellowship with my family and friends. I have missed this tradition the past two years but have enjoyed celebrating with my African family by going to church... What a pleasure and joy to be worshipping with the body of Christ the birth of our Lord and Savior!

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

Sepedi Wedding

I have only been to 2 weddings while being here for the past year and a half. Marriage is a difficult process with the many rules and requirements. I heard it called the other day, the law. In Africa, when a man wants to marry a woman he must first send a letter to her family through his uncle. The woman's family then writes a letter with the answer of whether they will allow him to marry their daughter. One interesting difference is that in America, it would be rude if the man did not go directly to the father while in Africa that would be down right disrespectful. But the letter is just the beginning... then comes negotiations between the two familes. The lobola is the price that the man must pay to the woman's family for the woman. Depending on the woman, the price is set based on age, education, having previous children, ect.

I had the opportunity to go Limpopo Province which is a 4 to 5 hour drive from Joburg to attend the wedding of Given's Aunt. I love getting out of the city and enjoying the beautiful country side!

One thing I have learned to appreciate bout African culture is relationships are more important than time. And I have come to agree whole heartedly with this! You can ask my team as I am always on Africa time... meaning I am always late. So, when they told us the wedding was to start at 10am I knew that just meant everyone would begin getting ready for the wedding at that time. It is all about the process not just the actual event. We ended up sitting under a tree trying to get away from the hot, I mean hot, African sun. I've learned to enjoy these moments!

And you know I love children! I enjoyed making friends with them even though I couldn't communicate with them. Everyone in this area speaks Sepedi so I didn't understand anything as I have only studied Zulu. And most people in the rural areas do not know English. But that doesn't stop me from playing with children and loving on them. You don't have to be able to speak their language... you can communicate through smiling, laughing, and playing!

These ladies did a wonderful job decorating the tent for the wedding service. Only the Bride, Groom and the wedding party sat in the tent during the service. Others stood outside looking in.

When the Groom's family arrived to the Bride's house, they sang and danced in the street outside the gate. They were required to put money on the ground as an entrance fee (about 10 rand which is a little over a dollar). They continued to sing and dance as they entered into the yard and eventually into the house. I enjoyed learning about Sepedi traditions which differ from the other 10 official languages and cultures in South Africa.

There was a lot of dancing... the Bride and escort (Given) with the wedding party. It was a traditional Sepedi dance. I think after watching it for an hour I could do it now!

Here is a video of the wedding party dancing:

Wedding Dance from Rachel Jensen on Vimeo.

Given and I all dressed up. But what you may not be able to tell from this picture is that I was dying. I was sick with possible strep all weekend and hadn't gone to the doctor yet for medication. Standing in the hot sun and getting chills was not that much fun. I survived but unfortunately had to leave early from the wedding. There were two wedding ceremonies... at the Bride's home on Saturday and at the Groom's home on Sunday. Unfortunately, we had to miss out on the Sunday wedding ceremony because I was so sick and needed to get back to Joburg to see a doctor. But I'm thankful for the experience and the pleasure of being a part of Given's family for the weekend.

There were a lot of Mamas and these two were from the Venda tribe. They came over and put me in traditional attire and made me dance in front of everyone... the Venda way, which is basically shaking the booty. And if you know me at all, I don't dance but I tried and got a few laughs of pleasure from everyone. It was worth it! Sorry no video is available :)

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of those who traveled with to the wedding... Given, Philani, Portia, Zach and I. Here is Zach, Philani, Portia and I's beautiful feet :)

Baptisms

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:18-20

Faith Baptist Church celebrated 8 baptisms! During the worship service, each person being baptized shared a testimony of how Christ has changed their lives. Pray for the people who heard the stories and do not yet have a relationship with Christ, that they would realize their need for a Savior!

Worshipping as a church together before baptisms.

Jesus commands us to go and make disciples... I'm excited about an opportunity to start discipling Palesa (below) who was just baptized.

I think one of the most exciting parts of this baptism service was seeing Given, our friend and fellow worker in the Lord, baptizing. God is working in Soweto and calling people to Himself! Pray for these new believers to continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the Gospel (Colossians 1:23).

Soweto World Cup

This is the third and final soccer tournament for Zach and Philani. See second tournament here. Four schools came out with support from family and friends... Mayibuye, Obed Messiane, Dr. Mary and Bonamelo. It was a fun day of soccer matches with a closing ceremony including a Bible story and trophies.

Philani led Mayibuye and Bonamelo around the field to the center line for the championship match. Philani hopes to start a soccer league in the local townships and continue what has been started. This project would give boys from townships an opportunity to develop their soccer skills as well as hear the good news of Jesus! Pray for Philani to be able to get support from the government or sponsors in order to provide a soccer development project in Soweto.

Mayibuye took 1st place after leading in penalties.

Closing ceremony.

I love the story behind the picture... you can see two different cultural things. Firstly, the boys do not have much meaning they do not have their own soccer clothes or cleats. You will find children playing in their school uniform with their school shoes (the black ones). Secondly, they are very giving and share with one another. When this boy was told he would be subbing in he ran to borrow cleats from another boy.

Remember to be thankful for what you have. Remember to give and share with those in need.

I'm upset that we will not be working with these boys anymore. But I know I will see some of them around Snake Park as a few boys have visited Faith Baptist Church. Pray these boys would understand of the Father's love for them and trust in Him alone. Pray that God would grow the seeds that were planted in their hearts over the past year and a half.

I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

I love the faces of children.

Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

Mark 10:15

Find the TOMS :)

Myles Warren Jensen

Since I have a blog post dedicated to my niece Sofia, of course I had to be the proud aunt again and introduce my nephew!

Myles Warren Jensen.

Born at 7:31am on 30 October 2010.

Weight 7 lbs. 9 oz. Length 21 in.

I was so thankful this Thanksgiving for the opportunity to skype with my family!! I love technology... such a blessing to be able to speak and see my loved ones :)

I can't believe how much Sofie has grown and that she will be 11 months in December. Wow, has the time flown!

Only 6 more months till I meet Sofie and Myles in person... Oh the joy I will have to hold them, hug them and love on them!!

I believe fully that God brought me to South Africa to serve him in Soweto for two years. Even in the ups and downs, He has been faithful and I know He will continue to give me peace and the strength to thrive these last 6 months as the longing for home comes and goes.

He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

Psalm 62:6

serveSOWETO

This past Saturday in Soweto we had a day of serving and reaching out to the community. The ultimate purpose was to put the Gospel on display. God requires us to put our faith to action and not just be hearers of the word, but doers (James 1:22, 2:14-17). Jesus not only proclaimed the Kingdom of God but met people's needs... healed the sick, brought life to the dead, cast out demons and fed thousands of people. When Jesus returns, he will judge between those who served Him and those who did not... "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40). Are you serving the Lord by serving and loving others?

What was special about this day was the partnership that began between churches in Joburg and churches in Soweto. Pray for this relationship to not be just one day of service but to continue to grow deeper to reflect one body in Christ.

One church in Joburg partnered with Faith Baptist Church in Snake Park, Soweto. We had three main projects including one at a creche located in the same block of Thulani Secondary School, where the church meets for worship. Members from both churches worked together to scrap off old paint and repaint the classrooms in order to be a blessing to the principal of the creche.

A second project was working at Thulani Secondary School. We desired to be a blessing to the principal and the school to share the love of Christ. The team here worked on fixing the many broken windows of classrooms.

The third team went to a disabled home located across the street from where we meet for Bible Study on Tuesdays. The team worked on painting a room and starting a garden. The home relies on making crafts to sell within the community for income. But they do not have much and struggle with providing for all the needs of the people living there, therefore it was exciting to provide a way of guaranteeing they will have something to eat.

Afterwards, Zach, Given, Philani and I along with some of the soccer boys hung out watching the Chiefs/Pirates soccer match and enjoying watermelon together. It is such a blessing to me to be able to invest in the lives of these boys along with Zach and Philani. Soccer will end 27 Nov with a tournament... it will be hard to say goodbye to these boys who we've known for the past year and half. Pray for the seeds that were planted in these boy's hearts, that they would grow up to fear the Lord.

We then headed over to Brenda's graduation party. I am so proud of her for the accomplishment of graduating from nursing school. Pray that she will get a stable and well paying job that will provide for her and her children.

Picture from left to right: Brenda's boyfriend, Brenda, Sibongile, Lebo (Sibongile's husband) and Momo (Brenda's last born).

Nomsa, Sibongile and I enjoying the food, fellowship and music.

Kabelo's Birthday

Happy 5th Birthday Kabelo!

Kabelo is Sibongile's sweet boy. All he wanted for his birthday was a cake with imoto (cars) on it. I had a good time making and decorating the cake. It made my day to see his face light up when he saw it!

These are some kids that live in the neighborhood. They had such a good time singing, dancing, and eating borewors (sausage) and rolls, chips, sweets, and cookies. Africans also sing our traditional happy birthday song with an added... Hip Hip Hooray! which is what the kids are doing in this picture.

These are some girls that go to Faith Baptist Church and two of them are in my Girls Club. It's always nice to have an opportunity to spend time with them!

Brenda, myself, Sibongile and little Momo

This picture is for Mom and Dawn who purchased this outfit for Kabelo. He wore it to church the following day. What a cutie!